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For us college students, time is precious. As much as we at Spoon love to cook, let’s be real — more often than not, cooking invariably yields piles of dirty dishes and more study time debt.

How do we flex our creative cooking muscles while being time efficient? That’s where the one-pot pasta comes in. Not only is it ridiculously easy and quick, it’s also extremely customizable and allows you to experiment with various flavor combinations.

We’ve broken down the one-pot pasta recipe into five customizable steps, complete with our timesaving (and flavor-maximizing) tips. Or, if your creative juices just aren’t flowing and you’ve got more time on your hands, try this tasty one-pot pasta recipe.

Before you start cooking, here’s one big #SpoonTip to ensure ultimate customization: Vary your veggies. Combine greens with more solid vegetables, like zucchini and potatoes. Mushrooms are technically not vegetables, but they’re fair game as well.

You want a medley of textures and colors in your pasta that will come by mixing basil and tomatoes, spinach and carrots, or red peppers and kale. Be creative.

One-Pot Pasta

Prep Time:5 minutes

Cook Time:10 minutes

Total Time:15 minutes

Servings:1

Easy

Ingredients

2 oz pasta

1 cup vegetables

1 cup broth or water with salt

2 teaspoon seasonings

1 tablespoon cheese (optional)

1 tablespoon olive oil (optional)

Step 1

Prep your vegetables.

#SpoonTip: Freshly chopped garlic goes with almost everything.

Step 2

Boil your broth or water.

#SpoonTip: For more flavor, use chicken or vegetable broth — otherwise, just use water with salt.

Step 3

Combine and stir the pasta, vegetables, and seasonings into your broth or water.

#SpoonTip: If you’re using broth, keep it simple and add a pinch of pepper. If you’re using water, add a tablespoon of olive oil with garlic salt.

Step 4

Let sit for 10 minutes, stirring often.

#SpoonTip: Keep an eye on the pot while it’s cooking to make sure all the ingredients are distributed evenly.

Step 5

Serve and enjoy your success.

#SpoonTip: Add your cheese now— and then let it sit for a bit so you can enjoy your pasta with some melted, cheesy goodness.